The Slazer Chronicles 2: University
by Professor
Summary: The 2nd in the Slazer Chronicles. Optimer Cougar Slazer goes to the famous wizarding university of Overbog and learns of Magical Alchemy, he meets new friends, and finds love; now just what will happen next?
1. PreUni Nerves

The Second of the Slazer Chronicles  
  
University  
  
Finally! The day had come. Today would be the day that Cougar went to his new University.  
  
Optimer Cougar Slazer had been surveying the Universities of the world for most of the time that he had been in seventh year at Hogwarts. It had always been his wish to go to a wizarding University and learn of the great arts, which his ancestors had taken on. He had, after many approvals and decisions, opted to learn at the University of Overbog. Overbog was a mighty wizarding city in the heart of India. It had come to a dilemma between the two Universities of Rio, or Overbog; and Overbog, with its highly rated Alchemy laboratories and the infamous Potion Masters that had been taught and lectured there, triumphed. Cougar wanted dearly to study Magical Alchemy, and become either an Alchemist for the Ministry of Magic, or a Potions teacher in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
  
For the past few months he had been renting a flat in Edinburgh with his best friend Charlie Weasley. But Charlie had moved away to Romania the week before to venture into the caves of Sonne Toom and research Dragon behaviour. He had always been a brave and adventurous guy. Cougar, however, was completely the opposite. He was calm, sensible, hated change and never yearned for adventure. It always seemed strange to others that Charlie and Cougar were friends; Cougar was a Ravenclaw, and Charlie was a Gryffindor in Hogwarts, but still they managed.  
  
Cougar looked out the window of his flat. It was four stories up and he could see the motorway below him. He had a strange disliking to muggle cars, or driving of any vehicle for that matter. He hated the power and control he had over them; too much responsibility. He quite liked being part of a team, having responsibility and achievements shared, and this part of him had almost grown into a phobia. A bird flew by and landed elegantly upon his window ledge. Ah yes! It was his raven, Hempoglen. He reached for the window lever and allowed the birds entry.  
  
"Hello boy! Welcome back!" Cougar had sent him on a message to Glasgow to inform his father of his departure time. His dad, Kangersplas Slazer would be driving him to Glasgow Airport, where he would depart for Overbog. This had come close to one of the most nerve racking days of his life. Hempoglen, or Hempy, as Cougar abbreviated, flew to his stand and began lapping up water in a replenishing attempt. He fought with Hempy for a few seconds trying to get the letter that was tied rather severely to his foot off. He opened the letter up and read it.  
  
Dear Optimer (as per usual, his parents called Cougar by his birth name) I am afraid that I can no longer partake in driving you to the Airport on Monday 13th, as I have been called away to London, because of Ministry business. I offer my most humble apologies and hope that you will accept my new chauffeur, Frederick, to drive you, in a muggle automobile, to the Airport of Glasgow. He will arrive at 14:34 hours and he will take your bags out to the car. Please write back to your mother and I as soon as you arrive in Overbog.  
  
Yours truly, Kangersplas Slazer Minister of Magical Military  
  
Cougar finished reading with a smile and a shake of his head. This was his typical eccentric dad. Just after Cougar went into Hogwarts his dad was promoted to Minister of the Magical Military to defend Britain, and all the money sort of went to his parent's heads. They started hiring maids, butlers and chauffeurs, and they bought antique furniture and fancy jewellery. Cougar had never gotten used to it.  
  
Just then the doorbell sounded. Cougar looked at his watch. It was 14:35. But his watch was not at the exact time. He walked to the door and opened it, and sure enough a tall grey haired man, wearing a black suit, stood in the landing.  
  
"You are Optimer Cougar Slazer?" He grumbled. He shifted his weight and stood a little taller.  
  
"Aye. You're here to take me to the Airport? I'll just get my bags." He signalled for the man to stand in the door way and he, himself, ran away into the living room to retrieve the cases. All he was taking were a few suitcases of clothes and three chests full of possessions, which he could not bare to part with. The rest he was leaving with his parents. Cougar took one last look out of his window onto the beautiful sea scene of the Forth, savouring the moment as the last he would really see of Scotland for a time.  
  
He got to the Airport and onto the plane well enough. Hempy was not all too happy about being taken into cargo, but rules were rules, and Cougar did not want to raise too many questions from the muggle flight attendants.  
  
The plane stopped off in Istanbul to refuel and let new passengers on. But after that they headed straight for New Delhi.  
  
As they approached the capital, the night-lights glistened and twinkled. The tall building approached him. He got a little nervous. He was now in a whole other country. Before, back in Great Britain he had always thought himself safe, that he could at any time just fall back in with his parents when things got tough. But he was in a different continent now. Losing that feeling of familiarity that he felt in Scotland. All comfort was gone.  
  
The feeling did not vacate him as he got on the train for Overbog. In fact, it got worse. He assured himself that everything would be fine. That he would get settled into the halls that night and be up and ready for the university lectures on Monday morning.  
  
It was close on Midnight as they got to the university of Overbog. The university looked old and rustic. It had a gothic theme to it, much like Hogwarts, but three times the size.  
  
A porter, who looked tired and grumpy, met him. Cougar was walked to his halls and was given a set of keys and a map of the university. The map was huge. You had to fold it at least ten times to get it into your robe pocket. In the dim lights of the corridor way he was in the 4th and top most floor of the building, and he was in the east wing.  
  
The residency once properly surveyed was quite nice. It had a living room, which had two full-length windows on the front wall; they looked out onto the Hughes Park. There was a small kitchen, which was open plan with the living room and was just the right size for Cougar, who had never mastered the art of cookery. A bathroom that also had a shower. A bedroom, which had - what! - someone sleeping in it! There must have been a mistake! A mix-up! Something went wrong!  
  
He ran down the stairs of the halls and into the reception. "Excuse me please!" He said to the receptionist, who was sitting watching repeats of Jerry Springer on a muggle television and eating a noodle dish.  
  
She looked up without a hint of enthusiasm and signalled the question 'Yes?' with a movement of her head.  
  
"Hi, I'm Optimer Slazer, I arrived tonight about five minutes ago. I was shown to my room by a one of the porters and there is someone sleeping in the bedroom of the apartment." He said frantically. It was late and he was stressed out, who could blame him.  
  
"And?" She asked knowing quite clearly that he was unhappy about it.  
  
"Well if they are staying there, then where am I supposed to stay?" Cougar pressed.  
  
She tutted and sighed, but she forced herself to get up out of her big seat and look through a folder containing lots of names. "You're studying Magical Alchemy right?"  
  
"Aye that's right." He peered over the desk to get a look at the book.  
  
"Slazer, Hogwarts graduate, Magical Alchemy. Yeah you're here. Room 137b." She snatched the room key from Cougar's hand and looked at the ticket on it. "This says room 137b! What's the problem?!" She shouted.  
  
"The problem is that there is someone already residing in the room!" He shouted back.  
  
"Well what is the problem with a room-mate?"  
  
"There isn't. But there is only one bedroom!"  
  
"Then sleep on the couch!" She smirked at him.  
  
Cougar gave up. She was obviously not a night person, plus she kept looking back at her television screen in case she missed a moment of her precious Jerry Springer. So Cougar decided that the most sensible thing to do would be to end the conversation and let her tell him what to do. It just would not do to upset the workers at the university within the first ten minutes of arriving.  
  
A porter was again called over and took Cougar up to his room. The porter was one of the clumsiest people Cougar has ever seen. He tripped up stairs, banged into pillars, fell through doors and swore rather loudly every time; Cougar was sure that every student in the university heard him as he wrecked past their doors. He was led up to the room and the porter let him in after fumbling with the key in the lock, nearly breaking it and banging the door against the inside wall. The bedroom light went on and a guy about Cougar's age emerged from the bedroom door, with messed up black hair and wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.  
  
"What the f*ck are you doing?!" The guy demanded. He looked angry.  
  
"New guy." The porter sneered.  
  
"So? Why are you waking me up?" He shouted.  
  
"I gotta do my job!" The porter shouted back.  
  
"Just f*ck off will ya!"  
  
The porter, who was much smaller than the semi-naked guy lunged forward to him in preparation for a fight. But Cougar stepped in and separated them. "Guys, guys! Lets settle down! It's nearly twelve o'clock." He turned to the porter. "Just go back down the stairs. Thank you for showing me up."  
  
The porter looked over Cougar's shoulder and made an unfriendly face, then turned and walked out the door. The noise of him could be heard clattering down the corridor.  
  
"Hi. You my new room-mate?" Cougar turned around hearing the semi-naked guy. He sounded much less tired now.  
  
"Yeah. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to cause a fuss. It's just that I was showed to this room and I saw that you were in there sleeping and I thought that there was a mix up." Cougar ran his fingers through his hair and took a long deep sign. "I'm Cougar." He outstretched his hand in greeting.  
  
"Mickey Fisher." The guy said, shaking his hand. "You know where everything is? Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom, and that's about it." He said pointing to the different areas of the residence. "And the couch jumps out into a bed."  
  
"Yeah thanks." Said Cougar. He looked at the couch. It was a Magical Folding Futon. "What is the word that opens it?"  
  
"Don't know." Mickey shrugged. "Look n' see." He yawned. "Well I'm shattered! I'm going to bed! We'll need to talk in the morning. Night!"  
  
"Yeah, night." Cougar switched on the light and inspected the Folding Futon. They usually came with a word, printed somewhere on the fabric, discreetly so as not to interrupt the pattern. Charlie had one in the old flat. You had to whisper Underlope to it. Cougar found the word. It was Petalspin. He stood up and took out his wand. He pointed at it and said "Petalspin". The couch automatically shook, the cushions changed shape, and the bottom grew out of it and tipped up so that it resembled a large bed.  
  
He then immediately started unpacking his belonging from the chest's, which had been brought up previously. He set his alarm clock on the end table where a lamp and an ashtray sat. He got a towel out and went for a shower before climbing into his bed. It was actually very comfortable. He found that after all the commotion he was extremely tired. He fell straight into a dreamless slumber. 


	2. Let Learning Commence!

I hope you all like this. Please review and tell me what you think. I can take the rejection. Go on! I'm trying to improve my writing anyway.  
  
Let Learning Commence!  
  
Cougar opened his eyes the next morning. Mickey was sitting on the end of Cougar's bed eating a bowl of cereal. He was still in his boxers and watching something. Cougar turned over and looked at his alarm clock. It was eight thirty. Mickey had felt him turn and spun round.  
  
"Hey man! How are ya? Listen, I wanna apologise about being so mad last night. About picking the fight with the porter and everything. Well I don't normally do that." He stood up. Cougar saw him clearly now. He had black hair, tall and wore glasses.  
  
Cougar had a splitting headache. He struggled to talk. "Oh.. No problem. He did waken you up. I would have done the same." He forced a laugh.  
  
"That's good. So we're cool?" Mickey said frowning down on him.  
  
"Yeah, we're cool." Said Cougar who was still in his bed.  
  
"Anything wrong?" Mickey asked, concerned.  
  
"Nothing why?"  
  
"You keep screwing up your face and you've not had that frown off since you awoke."  
  
Cougar laughed. "Yeah, Ok, I've got a headache. I get them from time to time. It'll go away."  
  
"A headache? I can help with that!" Mickey charged off into the bedroom.  
  
"Don't go to any trouble!" Cougar called after him, but held his head as pain shot to it.  
  
Mickey came back with a tablet in his hand. "This is brilliant!" He said pointing to it. "I got it in China last year. It will cure headaches forever!" He handed the tablet to Cougar.  
  
"Thanks!" He normally would not have taken it, as it could have been anything; he hardly knew this person. But his migraines were just so anguishing that he had to do something. He took it and swallowed.  
  
"Yeah, I went on a tour of the world last year. I picked that up from a Chinese chemist. They don't sell them in the west yet." He said.  
  
"How long do you have to wait for it to take effect?" Cougar queried holding his head.  
  
"Should be pretty instant. But you won't have to suffer them again. My sister used to get them. She used to end up in tears. But I took her one of them back last winter and she said she has had no trouble what so ever from them."  
  
"Well thanks a lot. They're brilliant!" Cougar praised. They were starting to take effect.  
  
Mickey went up to the kitchen sink and poured a glass of water. He came back and gave it to Cougar. Cougar gladly received it and drank. "So what are you studying?" He asked.  
  
"Alchemy." Mickey replied.  
  
"Yeah me too. That must be why we were put in the same room." Cougar said thinking that it was an obvious statement.  
  
"What school did you go to? Hogwarts?" Asked Mickey.  
  
"Yeah. What about you? I don't recognise you."  
  
"You won't. I went to Enne. The New York academy."  
  
"Really? I've never met anyone from Enne before." Cougar sat up and crossed his legs on the bed, his headache pains drowned off in the conversation.  
  
"Yeah, well there isn't all that much to tell about it. I've been to Hogwarts though. Now that is something to talk about! I stopped off in Britain during my world tour. What house were you in? I remember meeting the prefects of each house. Let me guess! Gryffindor?" Mickey said smiling in a big full grin.  
  
"No, I was in Ravenclaw." He laughed. "What were the houses in your school like?" Cougar asked Mickey.  
  
He told Cougar all about Enne and the houses and their origins. He was in a house, which would have been the equivalent of Ravenclaw, Gynthril, which was named after the magical element.  
  
They had a Welcome Meeting at eleven. So after bacon sandwiches for breakfast, cooked by Mickey, who was quite good in the kitchen, and a shower they went down to the Auditorium. It was huge. Twice the size of the Great Hall in Hogwarts and it had a large stage at the front. As they walked in a man about half the size of Cougar walked up onto the stage and asked for the hall's attention. There was about sixty students and they had already arrived before Cougar and Mickey, so the little man started.  
  
"Hello! Hello! Welcome newcomers!" He squeaky voice jumped from his throat and filled the auditorium. "I am Professor Muster. I am the Dean. Here in Overbog University we produce the best, teach the best and expect the best. You have each been chosen through a very fastidious method of selecting. Think it a privilege that you have you have got this far. Now do not let the University down by not trying! We expect that you do about three hours of study every night, going over books and notes taken in lectures and tutorials. It is essential that you do this, as when it comes to exam time you will not have the luxury of time. Come May of next year when you are all sitting your degree trials you will all, I'm sure, be studying most of your day. But it is not nearly enough to be able to regurgitate the information out during your exams, so my advice to you as a lecturer is to start now!  
  
"My next point is to all who are taking Flora Studies. There will be a weekly trip to the Botanical Houses of the University where a lecturer will accompany the group and give information and answer any questions that are sought. But may I add that any student may visit the Botanical Houses and at any time.  
  
"Now, to all the aspiring Alchemists out there, I advise you to all join the Brewing Union. It is the Union for the Potion Masters and Alchemists of today's society. You will receive a month magazine and an annual booklet of the moderations made to the Union and the new laws passed through the World Ministry. Additional information and application forms for this will be dealt with by Professor Casel." A witch of about eighty stood up, and Professor Muster pointed at her.  
  
"The University also has a vast stalk of books in the library. It is updated every year so don't complain about not being able to find a book. The library shuts at seven thirty every night apart from exam times, for then it is open all night.  
  
"Every Thursday night there is an Astronomy trip to Byerstand Hill for students studying Astronomy. The trip leaves at one o'clock and arrives back at three thirty. This will be a good source of additional study for the Astronomers.  
  
"So what I suggest you all do today is take your maps and find your way around the University, getting settled in and adjust to your surroundings. Look in on a few lectures. Have a browse round the library. There is a community hall in the Yule building, where students can relax and meet up with other students, see that if you can. Just get to know the university." He smiled and held out his arms. "Lectures start tomorrow. Let learning commence!" He finished.  
  
The students started up talking again. Everyone stood up and either headed for one of the exits or the stage. Most of the students were taking the Alchemy course and were heading for Professor Casel.  
  
"Well, what do ya think of that?" Mickey asked. He had been sitting with his legs up resting on the seat in front of him.  
  
Cougar sighed. "Sounds good. Where'll we go first then?"  
  
"I don't know about you, but that Union thing sounds pretty useful. I'm gonna go up and enquire about that." Mickey stood up.  
  
"Yeah. I will too." Cougar stood and followed.  
  
They got down to the stage and stood around a table, with the rest of the Alchemy students, where Professor Casel was sitting. She went over some instruction and handed them out letters and envelopes. They had to send away for them.  
  
They took a look at the map after that. There were seven buildings to the University. The two halls of residence; the McGregor building, which was the main building as they entered; the Yule building, which was situated at the back behind the halls, where the library and the community halls were; the Juniper building, which was just lots of lecture halls and labs, this is where the Alchemy labs were and where Cougar and Mickey would be working mostly throughout their stay in University; the Gallway building, this was one huge tower that was situated in the very centre of the grounds, it exceeded every structure in Overbog, it was usually used for atmospheric experiments; finally there was the Olde building which was on the far left of the grounds and was attached to the Botanic Houses, this was normally used for the Flora Studies course, but welcomed everyone.  
  
At about six o'clock that day the two came back to room 137b and crashed down on the couch. They had spent the last six hours walking around the grounds. It was brilliant! They even attempted to climb the stairs of the Gallway, but Cougar just fell apart on them laughing at Mickey's jokes. He seemed to know so many. The night they spent settling into the apartment. Cougar got out all of his books and set them on the shelves. They flipped a coin to see who got the bedroom. Mickey won, much to Cougar's dismay, but he was not too unhappy as the couch was quite comfy. Mickey showed Cougar a muggle television, and how it was really interesting. Wizards had nothing of the sort, but Cougar could remember Professor Sinclair teaching them briefly about it in Hogwarts. Mickey had put a spell on it so that it picked up American signals. They were watching the Osborne's when they heard a clatter of noises outside and the sound of women's laughter. Something bumped into their door and more laughter could be heard.  
  
Cougar jumped up from the couch and opened the door. A girl about eighteen years old fell flat on her back into the boy's apartment. She had obviously been leaning on the door. Her friend, who was about the same age, burst into hysterics. Mickey jumped up and saw the sight. The girls were both drunk.  
  
"Are you guys Ok?" Cougar asked helping the girl off of her back.  
  
"We. we. we live here!" The girl on her back said. She laughed after that.  
  
The other girl had a key in her hand. She scrambled up and made an attempt at pushing it into the lock of 137c, which was across from the boy's apartment. "You live here?" Asked Mickey pointing to the door of 137c.  
  
The girl with the key nodded her head ferociously. Cougar lifted the girl on the floor up to her feet, whilst Mickey helped open the door of their apartment. They took them inside, and left them on their couch.  
  
When Cougar and Mickey got back into their own apartment they looked at each other and shook their heads in humour. "What was that about?" Cougar asked him.  
  
"Beats me!" Mickey answered.  
  
They both laughed it off and settled down to watching a comedy on the TV. 


	3. The Coffee Howz

The Coffee Howz  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next morning at seven Cougar woke brightly. This morning would be the first of his lectures. He was due in the Juniper building at precisely ten fifteen. He rolled out of bed and went for a shower. He then prudently awoke Mickey and ordered him into the kitchen to cook.  
  
They were both sitting down to breakfast and reading the Daily Prophet which Hempy had brought previously that morning, when a sombre knock came from the front door. The two looked at each other, knowing that they were not expecting company. Mickey got up and answered. It was the girls from the night before, standing in the doorway looking hung-over.  
  
"Hello." One of them said. They both had really glum expressions. "I'm Shelley, this is Indigo." The girl said, pointing to the girl behind her who had fallen into the door the night before. "We would like to thank you two for getting us into the flat last night. Sorry if we woke you up or anything. We were really drunk." Shelley frowned.  
  
"Oh you didn't!" Mickey replied, smiling at them. They were actually very attractive, now that they had brushed their hair a bit and were more presentable. Cougar noticed this and came up for a look. "It was no problem at all." Mickey laughed.  
  
"Yeah well, we're really sorry. So don't think bad of us." Said Indigo, in the back, looking for approval.  
  
"It's forgotten!" Cougar shrugged it off.  
  
The girls also must have thought Cougar and Mickey comely as they were checking them out. There was an awkward silence for a minute or more as both the pairs admired each other. But it was broken by "I'm Mickey Fisher, and this Cougar Slazer."  
  
"Nice to meet you both." Shelley said.  
  
"You're never Optimer Cougar Slazer?!" Indigo asked, sounding a tad astounded.  
  
"I am, yes."  
  
"Oh my god!" She laughed. "My cousin went out with you in Hogwarts. Olive Smith. God, it's a small world."  
  
"Really? You're Olive's cousin? Wow! It is a small world! How is Olive now?" Cougar asked excitedly.  
  
"She's doing good. She got her job working for the British Ministry as a decipherer." Indigo said.  
  
The other two, Mickey and Shelley, could not have joined into their conversation if they had tried. But they latched onto one another. The four decided since it was only eight o'clock that they would go for coffees and talk. They went to the University café. The Coffee Howz. Very popular among the students.  
  
Indigo Jih was of wizard blood, and it turned out that her father was congressman in the USA army. He had worked with Cougars father many times. Her ambition was to become an Alchemist, and work on theories put forward by the US government. She had attended the Academy of Sonne Tu Sonne, in South America, along with Shelley.  
  
Shelley spent the morning talking to Mickey. They got to know each other very well also. Shelley was taught at Sonne Tu Sonne along with Indigo, or Indi as she preferred to be denoted by. She wanted to become a Potions Consultant for a Hospital.  
  
The pairs felt something, most probably not magic, most probably not chemistry, but fate. They were fated to be together. Ordained by a higher existence.  
  
Before they knew it, it was 10:10 and they had to run. The Juniper building was all the way on the other side of the grounds and apparation was not tolerated in the University for security reasons. But to their very much surprise, the lecture hall was empty when they arrived. Not a soul in the wooden pews, not a sound amplifying off the magic enforced walls, nothing.  
  
"Ok, are we late?" Indi asked.  
  
"Nope." Cougar looked at his watch. "Unless my watch is very slow then it is twenty past ten, and I just can't imagine that a lecture only lasts for five minutes."  
  
"It doesn't!" A voice said startling them from behind. "You're the first one's here." The four spun around to find a tall black haired man who had appeared from absolutely no where. "I am Professor Caligo, your Caedes Potions Professor." The lecturer spoke in an eerie and unnerving way, almost through his nose. His eyes were screwed up, and he wore nothing but black. The rest of him was invisible as he was cowering away in the darkness.  
  
"Why is there no one else here Professor?" Indi asked.  
  
Caligo, still avoiding the light lifted his wand and cast several beams towards the blinds high above them, knocking them down and imprisoning them from the sunrays. At this point it got a little creepy. He then walked down to the bottom of the hall and into his position on the stage. "The other 'students' are absent from the class as they are foolish and believe simple rumours, Miss Jih!" He continued his preparation by bringing forth a blackboard from the back of the hall and into the centre of the stage. "For was it not said, 'Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people!'"  
  
Something was wrong. He had been hurt by something. Most probably the lack of students that bothered to turn up to his class. But suddenly it hit him. The darkness, the pale skin, the skulking behind the blinds, it all mounted up. Professor Caligo was a Vampire. But according to Cougar's Defence Against the Dark Arts classes at Hogwarts, Vampire's were extremely dangerous and threatening creatures, unable to keep human emotions. But here was a fully emotional, balanced, and professional Vampire in front of him; he even seemed to be upset at the dramatic fall of pupils.  
  
Cougar was about to point this out to the group when Caligo interrupted his movements by starting. "Since the rest of the students clearly have made their decision about whither or not they pass Alchemy, then let us begin!" He wrote up on the chalkboard 'CAEDES'. "This will be your Caedes Potions hall for the duration of your alchemy learning life, however long that may be. You come here every Tuesday at 10:15 and every Friday at 3:00. Caedes Potions does not normally involve a lot of practical work as it is one of the most dangerous forms of magic concocting known, so therefore, you will not be doing much work in the laboratories. As you may or may not have heard.. I am a vampire." He admitted.  
  
Cougar felt Mickey beside him jerk and inhale a little faster than typical. But Cougar knew, and he also knew that this one was not a violent or malicious kind. He must also have been a good teacher if the University took the risk of employing him.  
  
"But I mean you all no harm. Disregard any rumours or stories that you have heard of me, and take me at face value and I shall do my best for you all. I am a half-blooded vampire, so I can keep under control. Now if there are no further questions then we may start the lecture." Caligo ended and went on with the introduction. He dictated out a bunch of formulae and paragraphs, which they had to take notes on. On the whole, the class went well. Caligo was a good teacher, despite his blood.  
  
They all left talking about the class and Professor Caligo. Mickey confessed to having an extreme fear of Vampires, and said that Caligo was just too much for him. They had another lecture at twelve, so they went to the Coffee Howz again, to get a cup of coffee and a chat.  
  
A waiter in the Coffee Howz, Danny, had served them last time and started talking to them. He was taking his degree in Astronomical Boundaries and had to get up at twelve thirty every single night to do research in the Galway building. So he had taken a job in the café during the day to fill his time, which he did not spend sleeping.  
  
"So that's one White Mocha, one Double Espresso, one Café Latte and one Regular Black?" Danny went over.  
  
"Yeah. You guys want a cookie?" Mickey asked the group.  
  
"No, I'm fine." Indi said.  
  
"I'm good man!" Cougar said.  
  
"I'll share it." Shelley jumped in.  
  
"Yeah? Great! Can you get us one of those Mint Choc-chip Cookies Dan?" Mickey said delightedly.  
  
Danny disappeared with the order and brought back the cups all levitating in front of him. Cougar took the cup and turned his attention to Indi. They arranged to go out that night, just the two of them, on an unspoken 'date'.  
  
The date was all Cougar could think about through his lecture of ACH [Academic Chemical History]. He really did like Indi. She had a sense about her. An aura, you could say, which seemed to be pulling Cougar towards her. He walked her up to her room. He watched her light brown hair flutter by her big blue eyes as they walked. He was trying to listen to her telling him all about her journey on a cruise to Ireland and the British Isles but kept floating away in the moment. He found it possible that he had fallen in love.. 


	4. The Date

The Date  
  
  
  
After dropping Indi off, Cougar retired to his room across the corridor. He had another three hours before they went out, so he got out a copy of 'Bestiarius Brews' by Vera Vumble and started reading. Mickey was a bit jealous, thinking that Cougar had 'scored' on his first week of University. But he was also hitting it off with Shelley. She was just a bit shyer than Indi, so nothing was happening between them.  
  
"So where are you guys going tonight?" Mickey asked as Cougar was putting on some Eau de Toilette in the bathroom.  
  
"We're gonna go into the city centre, find some place to eat, then maybe see a movie." Cougar said. "What are you gonna do?"  
  
"Probably go down to the pub." Mickey said sombrely.  
  
"Aye? I might join you afterwards. If we're not too late back." Cougar grinned.  
  
"Yeah right!" Mickey laughed.  
  
"You should see if Shelley wants to go out." Cougar said trying to cheer him up.  
  
Mickey looked at him, suddenly brought to life. "She wont want to go out."  
  
"Why not? She'll probably just be thinking the same as you. I saw you two today. Flirting your bloody arses off!" Cougar laughed.  
  
Mickey laughed back. "Yeah I might do."  
  
"Well that's just about six thirty. I'll see you later. Good luck with Shelley." Cougar turned, got his keys, money and wand, and went out the front door.  
  
He knocked on the girl's apartment. "Just a minute!" He heard Indi shout from behind the door. Typical women! He thought. But he was not kept waiting long. Indi came out, a few minutes later, looking stunning. She had on a violet dress that was clearly, see-through at the top, her hair was shoulder length and brushed beautifully, and her face, was indescribable.  
  
"You look..." Cougar, normally a very articulate person, was stuck for words.  
  
She gave a cute little giggle. "Aww, you're so sweet." She then turned her expression to a more sensible and adult manor. "Now, where should we dine?" She asked politely, trying to impress him. But she was totally transparent to Cougar.  
  
So they went out of the University and into the town. It was really lively. Ever-Burning candles illuminated the city. There was a huge Fair in the centre, so Indi suggested that they go to that. It was even more mobbed. Little stalls along narrow alleys made it very difficult to navigate, and they soon got lost. But they just let themselves get swept away in the culture. The funny thing about Overbogians was that they were all about a foot shorter than people from the rest of the world. This meant that they spotted students and tourist a mile off, literally; so Indi and Cougar were bombarded with sales men and women, all trying to sell necklaces made from dragon-ridge horns and books made from Alligator skin.  
  
Later on they found themselves in a large square in the middle of the town. Small building surrounded the crowds. Cougar and Indi headed towards a large crowd, where in the centre was a duelling ring. Cougar took Indi's hand and pulled her in towards it. "Come on! Lets watch!" Cougar had always loved duels. At Hogwarts he was the champion in Ravenclaw, when they had their start of year, and end of year battles in the common room. They hurried in. A man with a black cloak was leaning against a pole on one side of the ring talking to his friend. On the other side was an older witch standing, dressed in grey, talking to no one, but soaking in all the shouts and cheers.  
  
"The Duels begin!" A man shouted on a sonorous charm.  
  
The two competitors walked towards each other and began with the Duelling salute. They then walked to opposite corners of the ring and waited in the correct position. A horn blew somewhere from the air. The woman flicked her wand upwards and shouted "Jiggery Nuff!" Her wand released a shock of electric light, which went into the sky and disappeared. The crowd, who did not know her tactics, unlike Cougar who had used it many a time before, booed her. The man then reacted quickly and shot a blade out of his wand straight at her head. She deflected it with a shielding charm. He then shouted "Expelliarmus!" and the woman was taken aback but did not loose her balance. She retaliated by taunting the ground surface. "Ungula Serum Ungula Serum Ungula Serum." The ground erupted and the floor of the ring folded and formed a wave, which flung forward and through the wizard to his back, and making him scream in agony. She finished him off by commanding her first spell back down to him. "Jiggery Mull!" The clear sky above raised and a nebula of clouds appeared. From them came a beam of light, shining to the wizard, still on his back in pain. The light stayed and nothing seemed to come of it. But the victor was announced when the wizard could no longer move and all the energy was drained from him.  
  
"The winner for the fifth time in a row tonight is Winifred Tullanger!" A man announced and the crowds cheered. "And for the next contestant, who will we have?" The crowd was meant to be cheering and fighting over who would get to fight the champion, but the sight of her opposition being stretchered off was quite un-nerving. "No one?" The man asked. "There must be someone! Some one with the courage to take on tonight's champion!" But no one replied from the crowd.  
  
Suddenly Cougar got the urge. His adrenaline surged through him and attacked his mouth. "I'll compete!" The crowds turned and focused on him. Indi beside him gave him a sharp nudge in the ribs.  
  
"Ah! A brave young student no less, who will rival the victor, Miss Tullanger!" The entertainer seemed delighted that someone had challenged her.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" Indi whispered to him.  
  
"It'll be fun!" Cougar said as he walked towards the ring. The crowds parted to let them through.  
  
"It won't be if I have to get you to the nearest hospital." She sarcastically remarked.  
  
He jumped into the ring and leaned over to assure "That won't happen!". He gave her a kiss then walked towards the centre to meet his opponent and the judge.  
  
"The two duellers, Miss Winifred Tullanger and Mr -" He took off the sonorous charm and asked Cougar, "Your name?"  
  
"Cougar Slazer."  
  
"- Cougar Slazer will be competing for the street-duelling championship!" The man finished.  
  
Cougar took his wand out and flung his cloak to the side. He saluted Winifred and walked to his corner. He loved this. He had never seen a street-duel before. They had been outlawed in Britain back in the forties, but he grandfather had always said that they were brilliant. "Begin!" The man shouted.  
  
Cougar took his wand and flung a fireball at her. But her superior defence stopped it straight away. Cougar had no doubt about it, that she would be a tough enemy.  
  
"Sorbiah Feeeeee!" Winifred shouted. Out came a thousand small rats, which headed straight for Cougar and jumped on him. The crowd screamed at the sight.  
  
Cougar yelled in the pain as he felt several bites all over him. But he maintained his thoughts and sense and he shouted. "Abicio!" The rats were thrown from him and disintegrated as they hit the floor. He took his wand again and said "Caementum Alipes." Winifred's feet were immediately emerged in blocks of stone. He then pushed her with a Flipendo curse and she fell backwards. She was unable to get back up.  
  
But still she fought on. "Derium Minisule! Hypimum Di!" She sounded.  
  
Cougar felt a flurry of tingling wings over his body and he found himself floating in the air, also unable to move. "Irridical!" Cougar shouted.  
  
The witch began to spin about in a circle. The crowd laughed. She became enraged and stopped the spinning. She showed her devious side by transfiguring Cougar's watch into a Flesh-Eating Lizard. The lizard bit Cougars hand and slipped through his skin. Cougar felt sick, but he continued.  
  
"Olken Manus, Ulkem Menas, Elkem Monis." Cougar remembered from the hex teachings of Professor Flitwick.  
  
Winifred began to squirm. Unable to move in the solid blocks of stone she jerked in her place. He had infected her with hiccups. They worked their way up to her throat and she began hiccupping violently and spluttering as she did so. Every time she attempted a spell a hiccup threw her back.  
  
Cougar was about to finish her when she gathered up all of her strength and shouted "Wingardium Leviosa!" She levitated a rock from the ground outside the ring and whacked Cougar in the head with it. He was knocked out, and once again she became the victor.  
  
Cougar woke up in a small medical tent. Indi was right beside him. She smiled down on him. He was surprised to see that beautiful smile. "I didn't think that you would be happy with me." He looked up to her.  
  
"You did brilliantly. Very entertaining." She laughed. "There are a few reporters outside in fact. Should I let them in?" She asked looking unsure.  
  
"What do they want?" Cougar asked.  
  
"To interview you." She said as if it was something he should really already know.  
  
"Why?" He asked thoroughly confused.  
  
"Cougar, you nearly defeated Winifred Tullanger! Do you know what that means?" She said open mouthed.  
  
"No?"  
  
"She is the Champion of the Americas." She said.  
  
"Really? God!" Cougar had not realised it.  
  
Two reporters pushed past some medical staff and shouted over to Cougar. "Any chance of a picture? It's for the Overbog Miracle."  
  
Cougar was taken aback. He could not believe that they wanted a picture of him. They took many. Of him holding his arm up where the Medi-Wizards had pulled out the lizard, of him and Indi, of him in a hospital bed, of him with his University cloak on.  
  
By the time they got out of the tent it was nearly ten o'clock and they were famished, so they looked for a place to eat. The pair made their way down to the beach where they picked up some seafood snacks. They then took a long walk along the Overbog beach talking about University and Schools, and their past.  
  
"So you never got your forth NEWT in potions?" Indi asked as she was walking with Cougar to the University.  
  
"Nope. We got a new teacher that year. Professor Snape, I kept correcting his grammar, and formulae for the potions, and he hated me for it. I must have lost about seven hundred points for Ravenclaw just because I corrected him. So he failed me for 6th year potions, then he 'mysteriously' looses the paper." Cougar said resentfully.  
  
Indi laughed. "For goodness sake! I never had any problems like that. My teacher, Professor Urha, she loved me. I was her favourite student. It was her who guaranteed me a place here. But everyone else in my year hated Potions, well apart from Shell, but she isn't as good as me." Indi laughed. "That's a terrible thing to say. I don't really mean it."  
  
Cougar laughed as well. "That's nothing compared to what I did! My pal from Hogwarts, Charlie, he's in Romania right now. But when him and I were in school he went out with a girl named Irene Bileflower. He went away on a Quidditch trip to Beaxbatons and I went out with Irene while he was away. But after he came back and found out I dumped her. I don't ever know why I went out with her." He laughed. "She was horrible to everyone. Anyway I split them two up and I didn't really get anything out of it. But Chaz beat me up when he came back anyway." Cougar hung his head. "I feel really bad about that now."  
  
"So you should!" Said Indi who had been listening with a look of disgust on her face. "If Shell did that to me I'd kill her!"  
  
"Yeah, well we were kids. I was stupid." He shamed himself into surrender.  
  
She looked into his boring brown eyes and found the cute sensation that had made her want to go out with him in the first place. They both smiled, and Cougar put his arm around her as they entered the University grounds.  
  
As they got up to their rooms Indi turned to Cougar. "That was a great night. I really enjoyed myself."  
  
"Yeah it was fun." Cougar said, and he leaned into her. They kissed. Although, unlike most 'Goodnight' kisses it did not seem final.  
  
Indi pulled herself away. "So, you wanna come in?" She asked. "I've got the bedroom." Cougar followed Indi inside and spent the night. It was the perfect end to the perfect day. 


End file.
